Zack Zaromatidis, Emma Duncliffe and Michael McVeigh were the recipients of the Dr. Santos Barbarino scholarships.

Golfing and dining for Dr. Barbarino's scholarship fund

Beloved educator’s legacy continues

By Brendan Murray
bmurray@liherald.com

Tim Baker/Herald

Golfers and their families got to relax at the Inwood Country Club on Monday evening.

Friends and family gathered with the Lynbrook educational community at the Inwood Country Club on Aug. 4 to celebrate the life of teacher, principal, and superintendent Dr. Santos Barbarino for the second annual golf outing held in his honor.

The outing was an effort by Lynbrook alumni and the Barbarino family to honor the beloved “Dr. B” and to raise money for three annual scholarships given to graduating Lynbrook High School students in his honor. The event began with a round of golf at the club before a dinner and reception, complete with music from a scholarship recipient.

While final fundraising figures were not available at press time, the event was deemed a success by Dr. Barbarino’s nephew and organizer of the event Chris Barbarino.

“It was a great turn out. We got huge support from the community and great support from the schools in Lynbrook the schools my uncle Dr. B was involved with.”

Those gathered to help raise money for the Dr. Santos Barbarino Scholarship fund, which awards three monetary “Owl of Excellence” prizes, one each for a student-athlete, a student in the performing arts, and a “Student of Promise.” This year the awards were given to Mike McVeigh, Zachary Zaromatidis, and Emma Duncliffe, respectively

Barbarino said that last year’s outing had passed the initial goal of $15,000, raising $24,000, while this year’s event had raised $18,000 before the event had even began, with more to come from raffle and silent auction prizes donated by organizations such as Macy’s, the New York Mets, and the New York Jets.

Al Barbarino, Dr. Barbarino’s brother, spoke of the influence his brother had on the community, and in particular those in attendance. “Everyone who is here is a reflection and extension of his legacy,” Barbarino said, “because one way or another he had an influence on them.”

One attendee in particular was highly influenced by an educator who was lauded with awards such as the Knights of Colombus’s “Humanitarian of the Year,” New York State’s “Principal of the Year”, the Lynbrook Chamber of Commerce’s “Educator of the Year, and the village of Lynbrook’s “Man of the Year”, during his 32 year career.

Zaromatidis sang one of Dr. Barbarino’s own original songs, entitled “Never Before” as part of the evening’s festivities, and said he was thrilled to be part of the evening’s events, “Dr. B has done so much for me, the least I can do is play a few songs,” he said. “Just to have my name mentioned next to his is a huge honor.”

Zaromatidis praised the impact that Dr. Barbarino had on his life, saying “He is a reflection of a personal I want to be, he’s almost an ideal human being. He was never in a bad mood, he never had a negative word to say about anyone. He was universally loved by all and he universally loved everyone.”